Can or jar opener



May 14, 1935. F K, KRAG 2,000,962

CAN OR JAR OPENER Filed Aug. 13, 1952 f/wr/vrom 1 712722 Krgy ma v Patented May 14, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,000,962, can on JAB OPENER Franz K. Krag, Chicago, Ill. Application August is, 1932, Serial No. 628,661

' '3 Claims. (Cl. 81 -321) This invention relates to can or jar openers and has for its object providing material improve ments in the ordinary types of can openers now in use, so as to simplify the operation and increase the effectiveness thereof.

Of the accompanying draw n Fig. 1 is an elevation of a can opener which embodies some of the features of my invention; Fig.2 is an elevation of the opposite side of the opener; Fig. 3 is an edge view of the can opener; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the operative elements of the device.

Cans or jars are frequently provided with screw tops or with tops or corks that can be opened more readily by rotating them relative to the jar. For the purpose of opening such jars, openers have been provided which comprise clamping means which grasp the top and hold it firmly so that it can be rotated relative to the jar. My invention consists in providing improvements for such clamping means so as to increase materially the clamping force, and also to provide means for more quickly and conveniently and efifectively clamping the top, especially when changing from one size top to another.

The opener consists in a frame III, which forms 7 the guide or support for the clamping means, and also provides a handle for operating the opener when the top has been clamped. I prefer to form this handle out of a U-shaped bar, and the ends of the bar are fixed relative to each other by means of the clamping member l2. However, any suitable handle may be used for the purpose. The handle forms guides l3 and I4 upon flanges l8 on the end of the lever extend on oppo-' site sides of the plate It, and preferably a strip l9, fixed to the plate I6, is inserted to support one end of the pivot. Pivoted to the lever I! is a pawl 20 which projects between the two sheets of the handle. This pawl is adapted to coact with the rack 2| formed in one of the bars of the handle.

In operation, the clamping jaws l2 and I! are pressed snugly against the sides of the cap to be removed, by shoving the plate I6 along until the cap is grasped by the jaws, with the lever l1 positioned away from the bar, as shown in Fig. I. The lever is then pressed towards the handle Ill, thus forcing the pawl 20 into coaction'with the rack, and, by the position of the pivots and the arrangement of the pawl and lever, a powerful leverage isprovided in the nature of a togglejoint, so that the clamp jaws may be very firmly pressed against the cap. Thus, the friction, particularly if teeth 22 are provided in the jaws, will hold the cap so firmly that it may be readily rotated and removed from the jar.

In order to assist in manipulating quickly and effectively the apparatus, I prefer to form the pawl 20 out of sheet metal U-shaped, so that a spring-like effect is produced, providing suitable friction between the pawl and lever l1. As a consequence of this arrangement, there will be no relative movement of the pawl and the lever until the lever is forced towards the handle I0,

and the pawl is forced into coaction with the .projecting flange 26 upon which is formed an angular flange 21. This flange is adapted to pass underthe edge of the can, or for caps which can thus be removed in an ordinary manner, by 30 using the opener as a lever, with the end 28 acting as a 'fulcrumon the central portion of the cap.

I claim as my invention:

1. A can opener comprising a handle having a rack thereon, a clamping jaw fixed to the handle, a second clamping jaw slidably mounted on the handle, a lever pivotally associated with the second jaw, and a pawl pivotally connected to the lever and adapted to coact with the rack to prevent separation of the jaws, the lever and pawl forming a toggle-joint connection between the second jaw and the rack, the pawl comprising a U-shaped member with its ends pivoted to the lever and resiliently pressing against the lever adjacent the pivoted point. q

2. A can opener comprising a handle having a rack thereon, a clamping jaw fixed to the handle, a second clamping jaw slidably mounted on the handle,a lever pivotally associated with the second jaw, and a pawl pivotally connected to the lever and adapted to coact with the rack to prevent separation of thejaws, the lever and pawl forming a toggle-joint connection between the second jaw and the rack, the handle comprising a U-shaped bar with the first-mentioned jaw connecting the two outer ends of the legs of the bar, and the rack being formed on the 111- ner side of one of the bar members, the other jaw being slidably mounted on both legs of the bar and the pawl being positioned between the legs.

3. A can opener comprising a. handle having a rack thereon, a clamping jaw fixed to the on the handle, a lever pivotaliy associated with the second law, and a. pawl pivotally connected to the lever and adapted to coact with the rack to prevent separation of the jaws, the handle comprising a U-shaped bar with the first-mentioned jaw connecting the ends of the legs of the bar, the rack being formed on the inner side of one of the legs of the bar, and the outer end of the pawl when in coaction with the rack extending to adjacent the other leg.

' FRANZ K. KRAG. 

